West Seattle Pours, August 2012

Not long after landing in Seattle, my drinking ramped up. Call me weak, but Seattle has one of the nation's best beer cultures. The heat wave that struck Seattle in August's first week and easy accessibility of the Beer Junction didn't help the cause for my sobriety.

Here's a brief look at what I tasted in bottles, most purchased from the Beer Junction or the local Safeway. If it's heavy on Alaskan Brewing, keep in mind those ales are rare treats for Nashville taste buds.

Alaskan Raspberry Wheat

Sampled: July 31, 2012

I might be in Seattle, but I’m not really in this part of the world until I taste something from further north. The Beer Junction in West Seattle had this number from Alaskan Brewing’s Pilot Series. Wow. This ale pours lavender-violet from the bottle, with a firm but effervescent head atop it. There’s an assertive wheat presence early, then it seems to mix with the raspberry, forming a nearly opaque wheat ale.

At 6.5 percent ABV, Alaskan Raspberry Wheat is much stronger than most fruited wheat ales and tastes almost pulpy at times, which I enjoy. It seems as if Juneau’s finest added raspberries and then finished it with even more fruit. Finishes slightly bitter, with the raspberry taking a pointed, tart dive into the palate. Great mouth feel.  I know there’s no designation for King of Raspberry Beers, but Alaskan has earned the honor.

Bretta Bretta Bretta: Lost Abbey & New Belgium

Sampled: Aug. 2, 2012

This is the other half of the collaboration between New Belgium and Lost Abbey. Being Lost Abbey’s take, don’t expect it anywhere near Tennessee. But comparing brett beer to brett beer, I give Lost Abbey the edge. I owe it to their light-bodied yet highly complex and approachable brett ale. 

This rating could change after a few spins through New Belgium’s Brett Beer.  But for now, there’s a creamy bouquet on the front end and a lot of herbal tones that favor Lost Abbey’s version. A bright, sour lemon-orange character explodes on the second half. Bretta3 reminds me of Hill Farmstead’s saisons, very herbal and reliant on lively, tart citrus. 

At 6.3 percent ABV, Bretta3 tastes like something much stronger. The medicinal and herbal notes that define Bretta3’s front end define the entire beer. Anyone can throw wild yeast at a beer, but few can set such a solid foundation.

Port Townsend Boatyard Bitter

Sampled Aug. 3, 2012

I couldn’t leave the Olympic Peninsula without sampling some local brew. Ports Townsend and Angeles both have established microbreweries, so a few bombers crossed the ferry with me. Almost no head, Boatyard has a nice citrus nose and a surprising whiff of cocoa powder, with slight hints of clove, peach and grapefruit. 

The body pushes ahead with lots of grain textures and fingers of lemon. Boatyard finishes clean with a broad brushstroke of bitterness. A far cry from an IPA, it nonetheless delivers on its promised style. Too few brewers take on this English pub favorite – in the age of hopheads, it’s hard to get scorched palates excited about a beer built on subtle bitterness. Drink it closer too room temperature to gain a better bitter effect.

Port Townsend Golden Ale

Sampled: Aug. 3, 2012

The motto “thar she brews” deserves a laugh, because a seafaring town on Puget Sound claimed ownership. For a second pass, I could do worse than this golden ale. Clear in body, Golden in appearance and taste, Port Townsend Golden could confuse drinkers of American macro lager.

Still, this golden ale is a pretty easy drinker, heavy on lemon, pepper and pale malts. More small-batch session ales should come in bomber bottles. Easy, light and surprisingly complex, it’s an easy choice when the Olympics loom large.

Logsdon Seizoen Bretta

Sampled: Aug. 3, 2012

Brett saison has become code for craft-brewed Orval clone, but I’m willing to take a chance on Logsdon, an organic farmhouse brewery based on Hood River, Ore. Breweries that stick to the farmhouse tradition automatically earn a few notches on more obscure Belgian styles. The top might be capped, but the beeswax seal imparts a unique touch. 

The brett strain completely alters the ale, pushing the creamy head and perfumed, flowery nose to pleasant extremes. A tart sizzle hits the palate instantly. Some cider traces compete with a fine apricot strain that never fades. Throw in some kumquats, coriander, lemon zest, banana plus plenty of spices, then you have a pretty original brett-infused ale. Sour orange, almost without lemon presence, really kicks in on the finish. This is a fine effort from the Oregon farmhouse brewer.  Logsdon hits the mark and follows its own path. 

Big Sky Kriek 2010 (Bottle 1,226 of 3,600)

Sampled: Aug. 4, 2012

Big Sky steps into the oak-aged trend with an ale marrying cherries and three months in oak barrels. The oak weighs heavily into the flavor profile.

After a the Belgian golden base ages with Flathead Lake cherries, it enters the French oak barrels for three more months with another batch of cherries. The nose is quite musty, with hints of oak and cherry poking through.

This ale has a nearly Champagne-level of effervescence.  Indeed, the bubbles create a mousse with the cherries and red fruit characters that is hard to shake. The oak adds a little bit of a rough edge, but not enough to blunt the wave of 

Not as sour as I would like, but that is fine. At times it almost reminds me of rose champagne due to its emphasis on sour Montana cherry and hints of strawberry and other light bramble fruits like raspberries. At times Big Sky Kriek drinks more like barrel-aged cherry wine than a lambic. Definitely more fruit beer than full-on sour ale, Big Sky Kriek stands alone as a Northwest regional lambic brewed to high strength. 

I don’t really know if it’s for me, or if it deserves repeat visits, but Big Sky Brewing takes an approach to fruit ales seen by few domestic brewers.

Cascade Brewing “The Vine”

Sampled: Aug. 4, 2012

Have grapes become the final frontier of beer? Stone finished its fine Vertical Epic 10.10.10 with a variety of white grapes, greatly enhancing the natural strengths of the base Belgian-style triple. The Beer Junction folks told me that Cascade is the Pacific Northwest’s premier purveyor of sour beers, and they go grape with The Vine. Cascade combines blonde ales aged 12 months in oak with pressed grapes for an additional three months.

The mustiness and cider of this ale is so strong that the white grapes’ fruitiness only shines for brief moments.  No head, but heaps of citrus sour emerge in this evolved blonde ale. The ingenuity lies in how the grapes offer a subtle sweetness that mutes the potentially blistering sour taste. The Vine finishes cleaner than any sour I’ve sampled. At $20 for a corked 750 mL bottle, there are no second chances with Cascade. For a one-time sour, The Vine presents some unique facets, hitting for power without quite knocking it out of the park.

Brux (Sierra Nevada and Russian River Brewing)

Sampled: Aug. 4, 2012

Brux made a limited appearance in Tennessee, and I had to wait for Seattle to sample this domesticated wild yeast ale. Familiar with numerous wild ales, especially the unparalleled Reinart’s Flemish Wild Ale, I can’t say I like the “domesticated wild ale” promotion. Fear blossoms. 

Quite crisp and clear, Brux carves its own path through the highly populous brett wilderness. Some lemon, a lot of sour orange lies behind it. While I like it, I expected a little more from it - perhaps I burned out on brett beers this summer, and Brux had the misfortune to be the last sampled.

Brux would definitely not qualify as an Orval clone. It is light and less malty and cloudy. This is a brett ale that needs more time. I know that from the first sip. Brux has the right elements of tart fruit and citrus. Hopefully in six months, Brux will follow the brett beer pattern and develop more complex facets

Hilliard’s Saison

Sampled: Aug. 5, 2012

Finally, one of Seattle’s own makes my vacation. Any trepidation about saison in a can evaporates in the first sip. Cloudy and pale orange in body, Hilliard’s Saison comes off like a spicier Belgian white.  Plenty of yeast character develops flavors of pear, pineapple, and even a little tropical fruit. 

Very light and zesty, Hilliard’s Saison lacks the malty heft of many saisons and it succeeds for it.  As the orange turns bitter, lots of lemon emerges on the finish. I think a few of these pint cans could sneak into the suitcase (I didn't).

Snoqualmie Falls Summer Beer (Pre-Prohibition Pilsner)

Sampled: Aug. 5, 2012

Pilsners have made a strong comeback in the aged of beer extremes. With higher temperatures likely to become the norm, I expect more brewers will take the plunge. Snoqualmie Falls’ version is more orange in body, capped by a thick foamy head.

The malt character produces a lot of grain, almost straight-up malted barley at times. Finishes with a blast of dry citrus, perhaps from a little dry hopping or local hops. A spice lingers but the foam gently softens its impact.

If this summer brew lacked the foamy character, the spice might be too much, but they work off each other. Definitely deviates from the standard pilsner pattern. The citrus indicates something more complex, so applause to Snoqualmie Falls Brewing for going with a pre-Prohibition recipe.

 

Hale’s El Jefe

Sampled: Aug. 6, 2012

My, my, Hale’s produced the freshest hefeweizen I’ve tasted in ages. Granted, the clever name helps a lot. No head to note, El Jefe is a very dry for a hefeweizen, with plenty of banana, clove, orange and fingers of lemon.  Give the bottle a shake to stir up the sediment, because El Jefe grows immensely complex. The cloudier body reveals, pineapple, mango and even some guava . Few hefeweizens approach this level of complexity. Hale’s calls it The Boss, and with good reason.

Alaskan Summer

Sampled: Aug. 5, 2012

I doubt Alaskan gets enough summer heat to turn into actual kolsch weather. Nevertheless, Alaskan makes a fine statement with this summer seasonal. Quite effervescent, Alaskan Summer busts forth on the palate much like the orca on its label. Finishing with a smooth mild lemon and melon combination, it’s both prototypical kolsch and perfect for unexpectedly hot days in Seattle.

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Sampled: Aug. 6, 2012

Nothing says summer like porter from Alaskan Brewing. Really. This would be a perfect barbecue beer if I craved barbecue. Since I don’t, Alaskan Smoked Porter is merely of the one world’s best porters of any ilk. They alder-smoke the malt, turning the normal chocolate, nuts and coffee characters of porter into a wonderful beast. The roasted component in many porters gets a huge boost from the smoked malt.

This is the 2011 vintage of Alaska Smoked Porter, which tastes like the brilliant hybrid of a porter and a German rauchbier.  I expect the smoke smooths out with aging, but I don’t know if I relish an old bottle.

This could be the most drinkable smoked beer I’ve ever tasted. Porter lends itself to smoked malt better than a stout, which could prove too thick and strong on the palate. The natural creaminess of porter mutes the smoky aftertaste.

Moments after multiple sips, only trace amounts of smoked malt linger.  How can something so dark and smoky remain so drinkable? Let’s just call it another Alaskan mystery. Glad I finally made its acquaintance, and I won’t soon forget its dark beauty.